TAPR's Booth Space

TAPR Digital Forum

2018 Hamvention TAPR Forum Schedule

Friday, May 18, 2018

Moderator

: Scotty Cowling, WA2DFI

Bio: Scotty was first licensed in 1967 and has been continuously
active since that time. He is active while mobile on HF CW and on APRS.
Scotty is an advisor for Explorer Post 599, a BSA affiliated ham club
for teens in the Phoenix area. He has been involved in the openHPSDR
project for the last 9 years, and is a TAPR Director and past TAPR
Vice President. Scotty is also active in the production of openHPSDR
components and other SDR projects. He is a co-founder of iQuadLabs, LLC,
a supplier of openHPSDR systems and other Software Defined Radio
components. He currently works at Zephyr Engineering, Inc, a computer
consulting company that specializes in FPGA design and SDR hardware.

Friday, May 18, 2018

9:15 to 9:25AM Introduction by Steve Bible, N7HPR, TAPR
President

9:25 to 9:30AM The World According to PSR by Stana Horzepa, WA1LOU , PSR Editor

9:30 to 9:35AM Write for QST/QEX by Kai Siwiak KE4PT, QEX
Editor

9:35 to 10:00AM
.
“SDR vs Legacy Radio” by Adam Farson, VA7OJ/AB4OJ

Abstract:
SDR technology is rapidly displacing legacy radio architecture in the mil/gov, commercial and amateur radio sectors. Several new OEM's, as well as a strong open-source group, are building SDR transceivers and receivers rivaling and even surpassing legacy radio equipment. Established OEM's are transitioning from legacy to SDR. We will explore the relative merits of SDR and legacy radios and the issues peculiar to each type, from the Ham's perspective. Two architectures will be discussed: the legacy superhet with a DSP IF chain and the direct-sampling/digital up-converting SDR. It is assumed that the serious Ham will choose one or the other of these, or both.

Bios:
Adam graduated from University of Cape Town, South Africa with a BSEE in 1963 and an MSEE 1971. He is a holder of US Extra Class and GROL, Canadian Advanced licenses. Adam retired in 1999 after a 35-year professional career in RF design for radio communications and at CERN followed by satellite and wireline telecom. He is now keeping busy with evaluation and testing of amateur transceivers and
receivers, and with technical writing and presentations on related topics.

Abstract:
(1) Using an SDR to collect data during the “Great American Eclipse” on August 21, 2017, and (2) a Versatile Low-Noise VHF/UHF Synthesizer.

Bio:
John Ackermann, N8UR, has been a board member, officer, and project contributor to TAPR for over 25 years. His long-term interest is precise time and frequency measurement, and for the last several years he has also been involved in SDR development and application. John and wife Jody, KC8KDC, recently moved back home to Dayton after a seven-year relocation to Atlanta.

10:25 to 10:30AM
“What is HamSCI?" by Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF

Abstract:
The Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) is an organization that allows professional researchers to collaborate with the amateur radio community in scientific investigations. HamSCI aims to advance scientific research and understanding through amateur radio activities, encourage the development of new technologies to support this research, and provide educational opportunities for the amateur community and the general public. This presentation will explains HamSCI’s goals, organization, and an overview of current projects, including the Solar Eclipse QSO Party, the Personal Space Weather Station, and Field Day Experiments.

Bio:
Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, is a research professor with the New Jersey Institute of Technology Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research. Nathaniel’s interest in ionospheric science began in middle school when he was introduced to amateur radio through scouting. He earned his B.S. in Physics and Music Education from Montclair State University and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Virginia Tech SuperDARN Laboratory. His Ph.D. dissertation is entitled "Ionospheric Disturbances: Midlatitude Pi2 Magnetospheric ULF Pulsations and Medium Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances.” Nathaniel is an Eagle Scout and remains and active scouter. He holds an Extra class amateur radio license and founded the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) project. Nathaniel is a co-advisor to the NJIT Amateur Radio Club, K2MFF.

AMSAT/TAPR Banquet

Joint TAPR/AMSAT Banquet Friday evening at Dayton.

The twelfth annual joint AMSAT/TAPR Banquet will be held on Friday, May 18 at the Kohler Presidential Banquet Center, 4572 Presidential Way, Kettering, OH 45429 (just south of Dayton). Doors open at 6:30 PM for a cash bar with the buffet dinner served at 7:00 PM.

Jeri Ellsworth, AI6TK, will present on her innovative ideas and adventures in Amateur Radio. Jeri is an American entrepreneur, self-taught engineer, and an autodidact computer chip designer and inventor.

She gained notoriety in 2004 for creating a complete Commodore 64 system on a chip housed within a joystick, called C64 Direct-to-TV. That "computer in a joystick" could run 30 video games from the early 1980's, and at peak, sold over 70,000 units in a single day via the QVC shopping channel.

Ellsworth co-founded CastAR (formerly Technical Illusions) in 2013 and stayed with the company until its closure on June 26, 2017. In 2016, she passed all three amateur radio exams, earned her Amateur Extra license, and received the AI6TK callsign. This has now launched new adventures into Amateur Radio. She has been featured in January 2017 QST and in YouTube videos from Quartzfest earlier this year. Jeri has been given a free hand to speak on whatever topic she wishes (as long as it's amateur radio, somewhat).